10 June 2024 (Lloyd's List) - EVERGREEN has confirmed that it has signed firm shipbuilding contracts for a new series of methanol dual-fuel feeder containerships at China’s Huangpu Wenchong Shipyard.
An initial six vessels have been ordered priced at “between $52m and $58m” per vessel, according to a Taiwan stock exchange filing.
Ownership of the vessels has been assigned to Evergreen’s Trieste-based subsidiary Italia Marittima.
The order for the 2,400 teu sextet follows newbuilding contracts for a total of 24 containerships of 1,800 teu, 2,300 teu and 3,000 teu capacities, signed by Evergreen with the same shipbuilder in 2021.
One ship from the order, the 2,300 teu Ital Way (IMO: 9950789), was delivered to Italia in April.
This latest newbuilding contract brings the backlog of newbuildings for the world’s seventh largest operator of containerships to 72 vessels with a combined capacity of over 800,000 teu. Evergreen has the third largest orderbook of boxships, after MSC and CMA CGM.
The majority of Evergreen’s orderbook comprises scrubber-fitted conventional fuel vessels with its latest order being the second for methanol fuel-capable ships ordered by the company.
In July 2023, the Taiwan-based carrier penned shipbuilding contracts for a total of 24, methanol-fuel, ultra large containerships with the order divided between Japan’s Nihon Shipyard (eight ships) and South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (16 vessels).
After a big drop in containership orders in 2023, following high levels of newbuilding contracting between 2020 and up to the second quarter of 2022, newbuilding orders for boxships appear to be undergoing a renaissance.
In the past week, TS Lines contracted Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding to build its largest ships to date. The Taipei-based liner operator contracted two 14,000 teu vessels from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for delivery in 2027.
Earlier this month, Singapore’s X-Press Feeders contracted four 11,000 teu, conventional fuel ships also from Shanghai Waigaoqiao.
Canadian tonnage provider Seaspan is said to be in the market for at least 10 alternative fuel newbuildings of between 9,000 teu and 13,000 teu against long-term charters to Ocean Network Express and Maersk.
